


The Devil's Sonata

by feartheviolas



Series: The Devil in Music [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Classical Music, Flashbacks, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Music History
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22378702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feartheviolas/pseuds/feartheviolas
Summary: Lucifer is so done with humans naming unflattering things after him... or, a different perspective on how Giuseppe Tartini got his inspiration for The Devil's Trill.
Series: The Devil in Music [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772695
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	The Devil's Sonata

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first time writing a fanfic, so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Special thanks to [ObliObla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObliObla), [mira_las_estrellas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mira_las_estrellas), and [SpinnerDolphin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpinnerDolphin) for betaing and putting up with my jitters.  
> Also thank you to to [mira_las_estrellas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mira_las_estrellas) and [violent_ends](https://archiveofourown.org/users/violent_ends) for teaching me how to swear in Italian!

The elevator doors open to jarring piano chords bouncing around the penthouse, and Chloe is immediately worried. She takes a deep breath and steps into the room, mentally preparing herself to deal with another one of her partner’s moods. Lucifer is sitting at the piano playing various chords, each one as equally dissonant as the last, and staring at the keys in intense contemplation.

“Lucifer?”

The chords stop, and he answers without looking up.

“This interval. Humans named it after me. They picked what they thought was the most dissonant interval in music, and they called it the Devil’s Tritone.”

“Lucifer, what are you—"

“As if they needed me to help them make bad music! _Honestly_.”

“Lucifer—”

“Joke’s on them, though! I made a deal with a lovely young man to help him out with his music, and in exchange he used that very specific interval in one of his songs. It’s still performed today, you know.” He finally turns to Chloe, looking quite pleased with himself. “Would you like to hear the story, Detective?”

“Not now, Lucifer,” Chloe sighs. “We have a case we need to get to.”

“But Detectiiiiiive—”

“Are you coming or not, Lucifer?” She turns around and starts back towards the elevator. Lucifer pouts and gets up from the piano, sulking after her.

* * *

Even with the time it takes to drive to the crime scene, Lucifer is still pouting and dragging his feet upon arrival. _Why wouldn’t the Detective want to hear his story? It’s such a good story. Did she dislike his piano playing? Was it the tritone? He had to explain. She just came in and interrupted…_ His thoughts distract him from putting on his usual mask of extreme glee, and it triggers Ella’s hug radar immediately.

“Hey, buddy! What’s up?” she asks, sauntering over and throwing her arms around him. He stiffens for a second, and then relaxes, basking in the attention. Hmm… Maybe he could use this to his advantage. He steals a glance at Chloe; her back is turned, and she’s talking with another officer.

“The Detective doesn’t want to hear my story about the sonata I helped write,” he whines, maybe a little too loudly for a one on one conversation. He can see Chloe pursing her lips in her conversation with the other officer. She can hear him. Good.

“Whaaat? But you tell the best stories, Lucifer! I’d love to help you with your role. Why don’t you practice on me? I bet it’ll be great!” Ella looks up at him with excitement and bounces on her feet a little.

“Why, Miss Lopez, it would be my pleasure.” In the middle of her conversation, Chloe lets out an exasperated sigh and looks up at the sky, before turning and heading back over to Lucifer and Ella. Lucifer grins triumphantly. Mission accomplished. 

* * *

_Assisi, Italy 1713_

The room Lucifer found himself in could be generously described as a large closet. It was drab and sparsely decorated, but fixed to the far wall he noticed a small mirror. Perfect. He strolled up to the mirror and began adjusting his clothing, settling his wings on his back and wondering how much time had passed on Earth since his last visit. He was in the middle of admiring his effortlessly handsome and naturally good-looking face when he was rudely interrupted by a sharp gasp coming from the other side of the room.

“ _Santo cielo_! You’re an angel!” A rather startled looking young man was sitting up in a small bed staring wide eyed in awe at Lucifer. _Bloody hell_. The man opened his mouth, presumably to say something else, but Lucifer cut him off, folding his wings away and flashing his eyes red.

“I’m afraid not. Try again.” He loomed threateningly over the young man who was now trembling and speechless.

“ _Il Diavolo_.” The man breathed, barely making a sound. Lucifer’s eyes faded back to their natural deep brown and he looked down his nose at his newly discovered companion.

“Exactly. And you have just rudely interrupted the first opportunity I have had to properly stare at my own reflection in _centuries_!” Lucifer threw up his arms in exasperation before turning and straightening his cuffs. “Now, how do I look?” He spun slowly, displaying himself for the young man, who just sat there, gaping. He clearly didn’t know how to appreciate great beauty when he saw it.

This was not working out for Lucifer at all. First, he was interrupted in his self-admiration, and now the interrupter couldn’t even recognize the absolute masterpiece standing right in front of him. Time to change tactics.

“What is your name, my dear human?”

“G-Giuseppe. Giuseppe Tartini.” The young man whispered softly, fidgeting with his blanket. “Please, please don’t hurt me.” He dared to glance up, so small and pitiful, sitting there in his nightclothes. Lucifer huffed and rolled his eyes.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Giuseppe. Tell me, what is it you desire?” Lucifer leaned in, fixing his unblinking gaze on Tartini.

“I-I miss my wife,” Tartini confessed. Lucifer slumped.

“No, no, no, that’s _boring_! What _else_ do you desire? Surely there must be _something_ more?”

“I suppose… I-I want… I want to become the greatest violin player.”

“Aha!” Lucifer jumped up suddenly, startling Tartini. “Music! That is an area I am quite well versed in! Now, I can’t just snap my fingers and make you the greatest violin player in the world, but what I can do is teach you a few things. How about we make a deal, hmm?” At this Tartini’s eyes grew wide, and he scrambled backwards in his bed away from Lucifer.

“ _Per tutti i diavoli_! Stay back! You can’t have my soul!” Lucifer scowled, and his eyes flashed red briefly.

“When are you humans going to _realize_?” His voice was almost a whine. “I don’t deal in souls, and I’m certainly not going to damn you to hell. All I want in return is a favour, and in your case, I already have something in mind.”

“What is it?” Tartini asked suspiciously, slowly uncurling himself. He met Lucifer’s gaze, unwavering.

“Are you familiar with the interval known as _diabolus in musica_?” Lucifer asked. Tartini nodded, recognition on his face. “I want you to compose a piece using it. And not just any piece, a piece where it is a rather prominent and attractive feature. You see, I am rather tired of being associated with the things humans consider _ugly_ , and if they’re going to name the tritone after me, then I should at least show them how to use it properly. Granted, it may take some work, but between you and me, I think you’re cut out for it.” Lucifer winked. “So, shall we get started then? Do we have a deal?” He held out his hand to Tartini, waiting for the man to come to him. Tartini shuffled forwards awkwardly on the bed and held his hand out to clasp Lucifer’s.

“It’s a deal.” He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and stood, walking over to his violin case. He took out the instrument and passed it to Lucifer, who immediately began tuning it without any instruction. Once the tuning was to his satisfaction, Lucifer began to play, starting out with a few pieces from Vivaldi, followed by some Bach, and then adding a piece by Corelli, before moving on to some of his own compositions.

One of his original pieces started out as a few simple tritone intervals and grew increasingly complex as he added to the interval with trills, turns, grace notes, and other embellishments. When he was finished sufficiently demonstrating his immense skill on the violin, he turned to Tartini. The other man was staring at Lucifer, a look of awe and desire on his face. _Finally_ , Lucifer thought with a smug, satisfied smile, _he appreciates my beauty_.

Tartini took the violin from Lucifer once he had recovered from the devil’s stunning performance. Lucifer came over to stand near him, giving tips and pointers as Tartini started to play. A few times, Lucifer took back the violin to demonstrate a technique, but for the most part he watched and instructed.

Tartini worked hard at mastering the tricks Lucifer taught him, and Lucifer’s mind began to wander. He thought about the young musician’s other desire and his absent wife. Maybe Lucifer could help him with that desire after all… He wasn’t terrible looking, and it had been quite some time since Lucifer had been with a human. He moved to stand behind Tartini and leaned in, one of his hands snaking down to rest on the other man’s waist, as though to steady him as he plays through a difficult passage. Lucifer could picture it now, the young man lying there, naked and gasping. He pressed closer—

_Los Angeles, USA_

“ _Lucifer_!”

“Detectiiiive, I was just getting to the good part!” Lucifer tosses his hands up in frustration.

“Lucifer, we are at a _crime scene_. Now is not an appropriate time to recount your sexual escapades with an 18th century violin composer.”

“So, you’re saying there _is_ a time then?” Lucifer grins lecherously. Chloe gives him a pointed glare and turns to Ella.

“Okay, Ella, what have we got here?” She gestures to the corpse in front of them and Ella immediately launches into an overly exuberant explanation of how exactly they have come to be investigating this poor soul’s demise on such a lovely afternoon.

**Author's Note:**

> [The Devil's Trill is a real song by Giuseppe Tartini!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7rxl5KsPjs)   
>  [Some other examples of the Devil's Tritone in use.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJIO-Jr0E8o)


End file.
